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Still no sign of missingMorse


MUSICmogul Simon Cowell has put up a cash reward to help a Marden family be reunited with their beloved dog. Mr Cowell has offered £10,000


for the safe return ofMorse, a nine- month-old border terrier, who has beenmissing since December 13. Morse is owned by Richard Lat-


ter and his partner Amanda Hop- kins, and is a much-loved pet of their three-year-old son Edward. Hewentmissing fromPattenden


Lane in Marden after digging his way out of the family garden. Richard (pictured with Morse)


said: “We are all very upset and are desperate to haveMorse back. “At first, we tried to shield Ed-


ward fromthe fact hewasmissing, but he soonworked out something wasn’t right. “ It’s heartbreaking. The house is


so quietwithoutMorse.” Morse escaped from the garden


andwas spotted by a neighbour at around 10.45amon themorning in question. But as they stopped their car to retrieve him, another vehicle – thought to be a blue/greyHi-Lux – also stopped. The occupant said the dog belonged to their friend and took him– and the animal has not been seen since. The family’s plight has gained


much attention, but despite ap- pearing in both local and national media, there have been no sight- ings of the young dog. Morse has lived with the family


in Marden since he was eight weeks old, and has become an in- tegral part of Edward’s life. “He’s dug out a few times,”


Richard added. “He’s a bit of a ras- cal but that’s why we love him –


he’s just a typical terrier.Whoever has him, please hand himin. Do it anonymously, tie himup outside a shop if needs be, and just let him come home to us.” Mr Cowell, of The X Factor and


Britain’s Got Talent fame, got in touchwith the family after reading aboutMorse’s plight, an actwhich Richard has described as “unbe- lievable”. A Kent Police spokesman said


theywere investigating a reported theft of a black and brown border terrier dog from the Pattenden Lane area ofMarden. Anyone with information is


asked to contact Kent Police on 01634 604100 quoting reference YY/37582/17 or Kent Crimestop- pers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.” If you see Morse – who is mi-


crochipped – you can also contact Richard directly on 07984 353967.


Candidate was ‘not a local’


THE chairman of Langley Parish Council failed in her bid to win a seat onMaidstone Borough Council (MBC ) fter a disappointing de- feat for the Conservative party. Cheryl Taylor-Maggio (pictured) polled just 26%


of the vote for the northward seat she contested in November, after the resignation ofMike Hemsley. MrHemsley had secured a surprisewin by a nar-


row margin to break into a Liberal Democrat stronghold in theward. But the controlling party on MBC reclaimed the


seat, with Rob Field polling more than half of the votes in a lowturnout of 22.1%. Labour came third. Theward covers areas to the north of the town , including Ringle-


stone and PenendenHeath and a LibDemcampaigner Rob Bird felt that Mrs Taylor-Maggio not being a local contributed to the turn- around. He said: “I think they’ll be looking back on that decision and be


saying ‘Why on earth didwe do that?’ It is fair to say that in this by- election, therewere two partieswho threwthe kitchen sink at it– and lost. It was a fantastic result and although north ward is tradition- ally a Lib Dem stronghold, I was overwhelmed by the support out there for us.”


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